Release Date: October 25, 2019
Cast: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Taika Waititi, Rebel Wilson, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen
Director: Taika Waititi
Studio: Fox Searchlight, TSG Entertainment, Defender Films, Piki Films
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Spoilers: Low
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Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Based on the novel Caging Skies by New Zealand author Christine Leunens, Jojo Rabbit brings a comedy of a boy whose best friend is Adolf Hitler. That boy, Jojo, is a member of the Hitler Youth and can’t wait to serve is country in the war, and to help rid it of Jews. So what should happen when he discovers his mother is hiding something in the house?
Based on the novel Caging Skies by New Zealand author Christine Leunens, Jojo Rabbit brings a comedy of a boy whose best friend is Adolf Hitler. That boy, Jojo, is a member of the Hitler Youth and can’t wait to serve is country in the war, and to help rid it of Jews. So what should happen when he discovers his mother is hiding something in the house?
You’re in for a treat going into any Taika Waititi flick. His mastery of humor delivers uproarious laughter through the cast of hapless, goofy Nazis, their ridiculous notion of what Jews are, and their absurd behavior. Hitler, played by Waititi himself, is Jojo’s imaginary friend and aside from that bit of fantasy the movie is played grounded, if absurd.
What you might not expect (although, you really should) is how touching and emotional Jojo Rabbit is. Despite the incompetent Nazis, this still is a horrifying time in history. People go missing, the goal of the Gestapo is the systematic murder of entire people. It’s hardly a happy time, despite Jojo’s mother’s (Scarlett Johansson) best efforts. And so, watching Jojo navigate through his life, and learning to overcome his fears and hate packs a punch — at least to this reviewer.
The change of Jojo from happy little boy to crazed Hitler Youth is something his mother laments and it’s hard not to see a parallel to the now and how some of us feel about our own friends and family. When did they start having such angry, hateful ideas? What happened? Perhaps, like Jojo, they were just mislead and they need help getting back out of it.
As the movie ends and Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ starts to play I felt myself on the verge of tears, our heroes have passed through a turbulent, awful time and ready to live again. Maybe we can find our way again too.
English